Can passion be considered a soft skill for business owners? Depending upon your industry or job function, passion is valued in different ways. When I speak to business owners, I find it comical to talk about passion as a soft skill. They are extremely passionate about what they do or offer to their customers. Actually, it is the foundation to starting and running your own business.

 Manning Sumner is the founder and owner of Legacy Fit, a dynamic fitness facility with timed, high-intensity interval training. He wrote a book called, No Days Off, that guides you through 84 days of nutrition and exercise for a lifestyle change. You can imagine how hard Manning works and sweats with a tagline like “No Days Off.” In fact, that isn’t only sweat oozing from his pores, it’s pure passion. 

I was fortunate enough to discuss with Manning how he plans to expand Legacy Fit to the next level. Check out our discussion of what passion mixed with vision can do for your business.  

AMM: What had you create Legacy Fit?

Manning: “Originally, I wanted to create a clothing line and had thoughts about the logo I wanted. I love pit bulls and the attributes it stands for – discipline, determination, and athleticism. With my background of being a football player and a professional trainer, I took the opportunity to open my own gym. I used this logo and researched color schemes that would uplift people and put them in the mood to train. Later, my methods evolved into No Days Off, which became our tag line.”

AMM: What is the mission or vision of Legacy Fit?

Manning: “As a personal trainer, I traveled a lot and visited many gyms across the US. I noticed that all the gyms were the same. They had a cardio section, free weight equipment, and sold nutrition products. There was no real experience. And if someone did not have a trainer, often times they did not reach results. I wanted to create an environment where people could reach success and have a great overall experience. Since opening in 2008, I created “partner interval training” (PIT) so that my clients would account for each other’s fitness goals. Our boot camps were built with this principle in mind. And now, the vision is to take my model of private and group exercise to other cities in the US, by franchising. Being visionary. Not making the company about me or what I like. Just because I like various sports activities or are good at them, doesn’t mean it will make money. So now the concepts and systems of Legacy Fit can be offered in more cities.”       

 AMM: What does creating a brand mean to you?

Manning: “In the first four years of business, I experimented with approaches to the Legacy Fit brand, and I learned great lessons. Do not steer away from your brand. Believe in it. Make it about something you believe in, not about you. Then go out and make people know what it stands for.”

 AMM: How did you decide to franchise the company?

Manning: “In the personal training industry, you make money if you work. I wanted to create leverage in my business. I was not just trying to duplicate myself, but rather the system and process that Legacy Fit offers. This way, anyone who comes to workout, will see results and walk away with value. Also by franchising, I have been able to meet some very open, honest, invested, and dedicated individuals who believe in the brand too. They want to offer systems and process that work. We will be opening a location this year in Summerville, South Carolina, which is just the first of my goal to open a dozen locations across the US.”   

AMM: What are the greatest rewards and challenges of starting and running your own business?

Manning: “The greatest challenges were time, patience, and doubts. You have to have a realistic expectation about the time it takes to make a profit. For the first four years, I was figuring out and clarifying where the company was going, then last three years, it began to really come to life. So you need patience, because you really can’t skip steps, and keep clarifying when you feel doubt.

 The greatest reward is when I change people’s lives. When someone trains hard and they are excited about how much stronger and more confident they feel. It’s the best feeling for me.”  

AMM: Having been called one of Miami’s Hottest Trainers and highly sought after pro-athlete trainer to NFL and NBA players, what do you think your “edge” is?

Manning: “Consistency. I keep the end goal in sight, otherwise you are not likely to succeed.”

 AMM: What advice would you tell other business owners looking to start a franchise?

Manning: “Do what you love and want to do, and be consistent about it. The plan may adjust as you go along, but be consistent with what you believe in.”  

As I’ve mentioned before, passion is a prerequisite or foundation to a greater vision that you make happen. Soft skill or not, passion is the driving force for reaching your goals. Regardless if you are newly starting your business or have had your door open for years, continue to connect with your passion and align to what you believe in.

What vision do you have for developing your passion?